1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to setting sheet materials, apparatus for feeding sheet materials, and image processing apparatus. And an image processing apparatus could be photocopier, facsimile machine, or printer, in which a sheet material is fed into an apparatus body to record images on the sheet material or to read images recorded on the sheet material, and apparatuses for setting sheet materials and for feeding sheet materials used for such an image processing apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Office machines such as photocopiers, facsimile machines, etc. are in wide use these days and on increased demand even for use in small offices and by individuals. Such users who cannot sacrifice a large space merely for office machines have a need for smaller machines from a viewpoint of saving space.
The installation area of an apparatus when a cassette is used for feeding sheet materials depends on the size of the cassette, or the maximum size of the sheet materials. To make the installation area of the apparatus smaller, apparatuses of an increased number have adopted a so-called ASF (Auto Sheet Feeder) system in which the sheet materials are fed sheet by sheet to the apparatus body where a stacking or setting tray on which sheet materials are set in a slant state is arranged at each rear end of the apparatuses. By this ASF system, the size of the apparatus in the front to back direction can be designed smaller than the maximum length of the sheet materials.
Meanwhile an apparatus is required to have a cover openable to form an opening such that a user can put his hand into the opening to work for replacement of cartridges and recovery from paper jamming. When the apparatus is made further smaller, distances between respective units such as the recording portion and the image reading portion come closer, and therefore, the cover is used as not only a mere cover but also a tray for sheets or the like, so that an auxiliary tray may be attached to the cover.
When made openable and closeable, the cover may interfere with other units. The ASF unit described above, though setting the sheet materials on the sheet material setting tray and rendering the top face of the sheet materials exposed outside the apparatus, is required to properly set the sheet materials without positional deviations as much as possible on the sheet material setting tray to obtain appropriate separation of the materials during the feeding operation. If the feeding operation is implemented while the sheet materials are not properly set, the apparatus induces a separation failure or oblique feeding upon incorrect engagement of the edge of the sheet material with the separation unit, and in the worst scenario, the sheet material may be jammed.
The ASF unit is a member disfavoring disorder of sheet materials that already set once, and therefore, disorder of sheet materials'bundle by a collision of the cover or an accessory of the cover such as an auxiliary tray when the cover is opened or closed impairs ability of separation during feeding of the apparatus. Moreover, when the cover is opened or closed, the auxiliary tray or the like may possibly hit the surface of the sheet materials.
One possible solution is to remove the accessory from the cover when the cover is opened or closed. In some case, however, the cover may not be removed when open or closed, and other functions may be lost by failure to put the accessory back or by lost of the accessory.